Steve Degler does the play-by-play for every Phantoms' home hockey game and the color commentary for every IronPigs home baseball game on Service Electric Cable, plus an assortment of other events that keep him busy throughout the year.

Gary Laubach does high school football, basketball and baseball games in addition to a few dozen Lafayette men's and women's basketball games in his role as sports director at RCN4.

Even though these two broadcasting veterans work more than 400 events per year between them, each has little trouble saying that working the Lehigh-Lafayette football game is one of the best things they do every year.

They'll get to do it again on Saturday, with Degler anchoring WFMZ-TV's coverage and Laubach doing the play-by-play for the Lafayette Sports Network, which has RCN4 at its core.

Both broadcasts can be seen throughout the country, and even the world, thanks to the Internet; Degler and Laubach appreciate the fact that this game may garner one of the largest audiences either has all season.

They understand that the history, tradition and emotion involved in this game, which means so much to the current players as well as the alumni, take center stage. They are honored to be a part of what has long been one of the most anticipated annual events on the Lehigh Valley sports calendar.

"It's one of the big assignments each year for me," Degler said. "It's such a special game for the entire Lehigh Valley. That's what makes it fun to do."

Degler has worked four Lehigh games for Service Electric in this championship season for the Mountain Hawks, but he strives to be fair to both sides.

"There's probably more of a Lehigh slant to it, but I try to tell the whole story for both teams," he said. "I try to be as balanced as I possibly can for both teams. I try to do that for every game, to be honest with you."

Degler and Laubach are two of the most prepared broadcasters you'll find at any level.

There's not a detail or nuance they'll miss as the game unfolds from Lafayette's Fisher Stadium.

"You know it's such a big game for everyone involved," Degler said. "You put a lot of time and effort into preparing for it so that you're ready when the ball goes in the air on Saturday."

Despite the fact that Lehigh is 8-2 and Lafayette 2-8, Degler and Laubach say that this game could go much differently than many expect because it is a one-of-a-kind game.

"Lehigh looks like a complete team, but for Lafayette, this is their season," Degler said. "This could be their championship."

Laubach admits that if you go by the numbers, Lehigh figures to win.

"Lehigh looks like the better team on paper, but who knows, that's why you play," he said. "Look at what happened to Michigan and Clemson last Saturday. You always have hope, that's for sure, and the fact that Lehigh is such a heavy favorite this time makes for the possibility of a huge upset."

Laubach conducted an hour-long interview with Lafayette College president Alison Byerly and has two Lafayette basketball games this week, as well as the Freedom-Parkland District 11 6A championship game from J. Birney Crum Stadium on Friday night.

"I approach every game in the same fashion, but this one deserves a bit more research and looking more into the intricacies of the game," Laubach said. "I get all wrapped up in the high school scene, too, and love doing the league and district championship games and state playoff games. I look forward to every assignment. But this one is always a highlight for me."

BIG ONES ON RADIO

ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley (AM-1160, 1230, 1320) has the distinction of broadcasting the two best-attended events on the Lehigh Valley sports scene.

And they happen to unfold with a span of six days.

The station has the Lehigh-Lafayette game on Saturday and will also have the Easton-P'burg game from the same venue on Thanksgiving morning.

The Easton-P'burg game can also be heard online at espnlv.com

"At ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley, we pride ourselves on bringing our listeners the biggest and best sporting events in the world … from the World Series to the College Football Playoff to the Super Bowl to March Madness," said Tom Fallon, the station's program director who also does play-by-play for Lehigh men's basketball.

"Of course, that list includes two of the marquee sporting events this area has every year with Lehigh-Lafayette and Easton-Phillipsburg."

Airtime is 11:30 on Saturday morning and 10 a.m. on Thanksgiving.

DID YOU KNOW?

Thursday night's Saints-Panthers game on NBC begins a stretch of 13 prime-time games in 43 days for the network. That's because NBC will have both the Thursday and Sunday night games the rest of the season, which concludes with a game on New Year's Day night. Sunday night's Seahawks win over the Patriots drew 22.5 million viewers and snapped the NFL's ratings slump, at least for one night.